Lois Jacobs - "The Agility Paradox - How today's most successful companies are staying ahead" Event

Lecture synopsis:

Today’s markets are changing more rapidly than ever before. As technology advances, traditional barriers to market entry fall. A category-transforming idea could arrive from outside the industry or across the globe—at any minute. Only a few years ago, no one could have anticipated how quickly Zipcar and Airbnb would shake the foundations of their industries.

At the same time, brands’ actions have been laid open to public scrutiny in ways previously unknown. What happens in one corner of the world can no longer be kept from another. A child labour scandal in India affects opinion in Indianapolis. A leaked cell phone video goes viral with millions of views.

Companies are facing a new reality, trying to steer brands in a context where disruption is the norm. They face perpetually evolving business strategies, shifting categories, an expanding array of touch points, and an ever-savvier mix of customers. In spite of all this, some brands are getting it right.

Landor conducted a global study to investigate how. Numbers were studied, consumers were talked to, and businesses were analysed to determine how and why some brands are succeeding against the odds. It seems that today’s strongest, best-performing brands are striking a balance. These companies are adaptive and nimble while remaining fixed on core tenets, nurturing a harmonious relationship between two divergent dimensions. We call this phenomenon the agility paradox.